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This 1650 eight reales coin is one of several hundred objects recovered from the wreck of the VERGULDE DRAECK, a Dutch East India Company vessel wrecked off the West Australian coast in 1656.
It bears a cross with lions and castles in the four quadrants on the obverse and was minted in Seville. The reverse bears the Spanish imperial crest representing the Spanish Empire. This coin shows signs of clipping around the edges, a fraudulent but common practice often associated with reales.

SignificanceAssociated with the oldest Dutch shipwreck discovered on the Australian coast this silver coin is representative of European presence near the Australian continent in the 17th century.

HistoryThe eight reales coin originated in the Spanish colonies of South America during the sixteenth century. In an effort to export the silver of the New World back to Spain quickly, the colonial mints produced irregular coinage called cobs. These were made from a bar of silver cut into pieces of the appropriate weight and stamped with official insignia. This production method resulted in cobs of various sizes, shapes and with inconsistent impressions.
Once in Spain, some cobs were melted down to produce other silver items, however many found their way into circulation and were commonly used in trade. It was not uncommon for cobs to be clipped, reducing the weight and value of the piece. The crude production of these coins meant that such practices were hard to stop.

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